Dr. Giacomo Rizzolatti explains how he discovered mirror neurons in humans. Once he discovered the existence of mirror neurons in monkeys, he decided to investigate if the same mechanisms existed in humans and found that they are, in fact, present. An interesting finding is that it appears that humans have an additional mirror system that enables us to code ‘how’ an observed movement is performed. This does not appear to exist in monkeys, who have a single mirror system. He describes the techniques that are used to study mirror neurons in humans and monkeys and describes the differences in performing experiments the two species. He notes that findings in humans explain, in much detail, human behavior and can be used in the treatment of many neurological disorders.
